California Just Approved a Second Bear Tag. Here’s What That Means.

Today the California Fish and Game Commission voted to allow hunters to purchase a second bear tag in a single license year — the most meaningful step toward science-based bear management the state has taken in over a decade. This outcome is what years of showing up looks like.

What the Commission Approved

The Commission adopted a package of amendments to California’s black bear hunting regulations:

• A second bear tag. Hunters can now purchase up to two bear tags per license year.
• Expanded hunt zones in Lassen and Modoc counties, tracking the growing bear range in northeastern California.
• The statewide harvest quota stays at 1,700 bears. The Commission recognized the need for tools to actually reach that target — one backed by science for years, but unmet since the 2012 ban on hunting with dogs.

 

As Devin O’Dea, BHA’s Western Policy and Conservation Manager, explained: “We are not advocating for an increase in the quota. We’re advocating for a second bear tag to reach the quota established by science, by the management professionals within the Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

Why This Win Is Bigger Than Bear Hunting

California’s bear population has grown to an estimated 59,851 animals, nearly three times higher than estimates from just a few years ago and one of the largest populations in the United States. Yet the annual harvest rate has sat at just 1.7% to 2.5%, far below what other western states with smaller populations are sustainably managing.

Bears are also one of the leading predators of mule deer fawns in California. CDFW research found that newborn fawns west of the Sierra Crest are more than six times more likely to die from bear predation than any other cause. A more effective bear harvest program helps restore balance across the entire ecosystem.

There’s a funding dimension too. As Devin O’Dea put it: “Not allowing individuals to purchase another bear tag — that’s just a loss in revenue for the department.” Every tag sold generates funding that flows directly back into wildlife conservation, funding the research, the wardens, and the habitat work that benefits every species in California.

How CA BHA Got Us Here

This win didn’t happen overnight. In 2021, CA BHA helped lead the coalition that defeated SB252, the so-called Bear Protection Act, which would have entirely banned bear hunting in California. The following year, when the Humane World for Animals petitioned the Commission for a full moratorium on bear hunting, we galvanized 25+ organizations, compiled the best available scientific literature, and brought it to the Commission. Their petition was rejected.

The opposition’s case rested on a fundamental misreading of the data. As Devin O’Dea, Western Policy & Conservation Manager, BHA explained: “They said since people are getting fewer bears, it must mean that the bear population is collapsing, when in reality we just had far less capability to harvest bears because people aren’t using dogs anymore.”

CA BHA also contributed to bear population research with UC Davis and CDFW, demonstrating our commitment in tangible dollars alongside a significant investment by the department.

When CDFW released its landmark management plan in April 2025, CA BHA was ready. As David Bess, CA BHA’s Legislative Chair and former CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement, put it: “We were poised at that point when that plan came out. We filed that petition the very next day.”

That relationship with CDFW mattered. Bess explained: “BHA has an excellent reputation with the department as a partner that works with the agency. When we brought this petition to the Commission, they were supportive of it. We’re a working, viable partner.”

What Comes Next

A second tag is the first step, not the finish line. CDFW’s new management plan establishes nine Bear Conservation Regions across the state, a regional approach that allows managers to respond to where bears are concentrated, where human conflict is highest, and where ecosystems are most out of balance. CA BHA will remain engaged in that process.

In the words of CA BHA Legislative Chair, David Bess: “That’s a win for wildlife. It’s a win for conservation — and it will ultimately prove up the fact that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has excellent scientists who do excellent work, and in collaboration with the sportsmen and sportswomen of California are really putting their hearts, their souls, and their money where their mouth is.”

Thank You

To our members, to everyone who showed up at the meeting, submitted public comment, shared our posts, or simply told a friend what was at stake — this is yours too. The opposition was organized and loud. You were louder.

This is what CA BHA membership looks like in action. If you’re not yet a member, today is a great day to join. We’re going to need you for what comes next.

Join California BHA

 

For the bears, for the deer, for the public lands — onward.